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My recent encounter with CBS News anchor Dan Rather and his producer made me realize that much of the anti-Israel coverage in the media -- which treats Israel with a double-standard unparalleled anywhere else in the world -- is attributable to factors other than anti-Semitism. I met his CBS producer at a building in Jerusalem's Jewish Quarter that overlooks the Temple Mount where she wished to film from. We proceeded up to the roof which afforded a masterful view of the centerpiece of the Old City. Sprawled out in front of us was the Temple Mount, the place where the two ancient Jewish Temples stood, and currently the shared location of the Western Wall and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Behind the Temple Mount is the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives, with the rugged hills of the Judean Desert in the background. This is the focal point of the entire Arab-Israeli conflict. In fact, Palestinians call the current conflict the "Al-Aqsa Intifada." As we stood side-by-side taking in the extraordinary view, the producer turned to me and said in a sort of apologetic tone, "You'll have to excuse my ignorance, but what exactly are we looking at?" My stomach instantly dropped. Maybe she was unsure of a specific building? "No, what is this entire area we are looking at?" "The Temple Mount!!" I wanted to scream. "It's the most important spot in the entire region!"
I controlled myself and began my first history lesson to a national news producer. I explained how the Jewish people built a Temple in this spot 3,000 years ago, and how, after its destruction, a second Temple was built in the exact same location. I explained how Jesus visited this second Jewish Temple, which stood until the Romans ultimately destroyed it in the first century. I explained how the Muslims came to Jerusalem in the mid-seventh century, soon after the creation of their religion, building the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Golden Dome. I explained to her that the Western Wall is the remaining retaining wall of the second Jewish Temple. As I went through these historic points, the producer was taking furious notes on her yellow writing pad, trying to record the details of this place so integral to the Arab-Israeli conflict. A few minutes later, Dan Rather arrived. He climbed the stairs to join us on the roof. As he reached the top stair, he looked out at the view that was spread before him. "Oh, I've been here before," he said. Then, looking at his producer, he quietly asked, "What is this that we're looking at?" My stomach plummeted again. Not Dan Rather, too?! The expert on world events who is watched by 30 million nightly viewers can't identify the Temple Mount? I knew American viewers were in big trouble. The producer read the notes on her yellow pad, filling Mr. Rather in on all the details of the place in front of them. During the film shoot, Rather held this same yellow pad of paper in his hand, reading from it on air. So much for in-depth research and media accuracy. A DEBATE ABOUT TRUTH After Dan Rather left, I spent some time with his producer, discussing her viewpoints of what was currently happening in Israel. After seeing the tone of her news segment, I was concerned. I began to question her about accuracy in reporting. Her answer was even more shocking than what I had already observed. "The thing is," she told me, "it is impossible to be objective in this situation. The fact is that there is no objective truth -- neither side is right or wrong."
"Wait a minute," I asked her. "When a Palestinian straps on a belt of dynamite lined with nails and walks into a pizza shop, blowing up innocent people, that wouldn't be objectively wrong?" "Of course I would think that is wrong," she answered me. "But the Palestinians believe this is a legitimate form of warfare. And they would say the Israelis are doing the same to them by killing innocent civilians when they retaliate militarily. Who am I to say what is right or wrong? Who am I to say that the Palestinians are wrong in their beliefs?" "But don't you think there's a difference between a person blowing himself up in a restaurant, and a military that responds by searching for and killing terrorists. Granted that innocent civilians are killed in both circumstances -- but in one situation the innocents are targeted, and in the other situation they are regrettably caught in the line of fire?" "Well, that's a very Western way of looking at things. You see I'm Christian and American. I see things the way you do as an Israeli -- we have the same moral framework. But the Arabs view things differently, and who's to say that we're right and they're wrong?" At this point we both realized we weren't going to get any further in the conversation, and we politely thanked each other and parted ways. CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS This experience gave me new insight into why so much of the media seems biased against Israel. Not only, as I saw with my own eyes, was even the top echelon some of the media unprepared and lacking knowledge of the basic history and make-up of the conflict, but they also possess an extremely dangerous philosophy -- a belief that there is no objective right and wrong. The world today is being shaped into two conflicting civilizations. This has been happening minimally for decades, but more probably for centuries, and has now become most evident since September 11. One civilization, led by Judeo-Christian ethics, values life with the utmost sanctity. Individual rights and freedoms, equality of the sexes, and peace amongst nations are pillars upon which this half of the world stands.
The other civilization holds very different ideals: the glorification of death and war, totalitarian control of the masses, and oppression of women. The latter civilization sees the former as a direct threat to its way of life and is willing to sacrifice its own children to destroy the other. This clash of civilizations is being fought on many fronts, including the battlefield. But for most of us non-soldier-types, the war is being fought in the recesses of our own conscience. Many world leaders, like President Bush and Prime Minister Sharon, have identified this clearly as a fight against evil. But there are others, many of whom are influential in the media, who don't believe that the values of the Western world are "objectively good." Reuters news service refused to call the September 11 attacks "terrorism," finding that even too much of a moral stretch. This clash calls upon us all to must make a clear choice. Are we confident in our own values and morals? Do we know that they are objectively good and thus worth defending and fighting for? Unless we can answer these questions with full determination and conviction, we will remain deeply threatened by those who seek to destroy us. Because one thing is certain: The other side has the determination and conviction to carry on their crusade.
Published: Sunday, April 21, 2002
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Hear related audio on this topic
It's called "Professional" journalism
Dear Elliot,
Thanks for sharing this important story. I am absolutely stunned.
As a former public relations professional who has worked extensively with journalists and editors as well as newsmakers, I can honestly say that I'm
shocked to my core. Never in my wildest moments of cynicism would I have dreamed that such a highly regarded "investigative journalist" and his producer would be so completely unprofessional as to have not completed the MOST BASIC TASKS of newsgathering. Those are BACKGROUND FACT GATHERING and
FACT CHECKING.
This is, of course, the foundation, and the most necessary element required
for FACT REPORTING. Facts are objective. Facts are documented. Facts do not require adjectives to describe them, unless one is reporting the fact of one party's opinion, in which case adjectives are supplied by that party and attributions for the statements identify the party.
To Robert, with respect, I would suggest that it should be every American's expectation that news media should be fact based, and that journalists do their homework in order to present facts, and to disseminate those facts to the audience. It's definitely not the job of the news media and journalists to opine about the news.
You can find that assertion in any statement of ethics of professional
editorial organizations, and most news organizations include such statements
of ethical practice as part of their corporate mission statements.
An independent media (that is, not government owned or controlled) reporting facts is one of humanity's only defenses against the establishment of totalitarian regimes. The world has many well documented tragedies
resulting from the absence of an independent news media. (See the Soviet
Union and particularly the regime of Stalin for example.) In fact, Hitler's
most successful weapons technology was the Radio and the science of
Persuasion - Goebbels kept a copy of the book "Crystallizing Public
Relations" on his desk at all times. At the time, that was a new science.
It was written by the man known as the Father of Public Relations, who also
happened to be the creator of the "Marlboro Man" advertising imagery.
This is not simply a matter of vapid, talking heads. This is a matter
impacting the very essence of rational, educated, decision-making
individuals. Handled unprofessionally, news media is one of the most
dangerous and powerful phenomena on earth.
(As an aside, Robert, I commend you for your independent drive to uncover
the history of the region in order to sort out your feelings about the
current situation in Israel. A good source of facts is the book "Facts and
Myths: A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict." It is available in paperback,
or online at http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/myths/mftoc.html Additionally,
a new book "Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News" can
give you some further insight on the news media. Finally, some fiction
reading - "1984" by George Orwell describes the extreme result of
manipulating the media. Less extreme, but also relevant to Elliot's
article, the movie "Broadcast News" by Eric Bogosian.
To address your question about "what you people have been doing to make the
situation better for everyone" : The Israeli government's solution to the
Arab discontent has been to allow anyone, regardless of race or religion -
including Moslem Arabs - to become full citizens of Israel with all of the
rights and privileges of citizenship. The fact is that very few have
accepted Israel as a legitimate government. Contrast that fact with the
fact that no Jew, nor anyone who has ever even been to Israel on vacation,
is allowed to even enter an Arab country with a Moslem government. Not even on vacation. You can look it up on their web sites or on the US State
Department travel advisory web sites. You can take these two facts and draw
your own conclusions.)
(2) Roger Jones 9/19/2004
Rather Represents The Basic Ignorance Of The Media
The general ignorance of the media regarding the historical signifigance of the differences seperating the antagontists in the Mid East results in their inability to come to objetive conclusions about events in that part of the world. The press and media in the US lost their ability to report the news objectively to us about the time they felt it necessary to impose their personal political bias on us. The longer it goes on the more arrogant they become and less concerned they are about giving us the facts. They listen to their own drum beat and cant give us credit for being able to assimulate facts and draw our own conclusions. Rather,Jennings and Donaldson and their kind are fast becoming irrelevant in the overall scheme of things. When Blogers have more creditabilty than network reporters and commentators you would think they would get the message but they are too busy listening to the sound of their own wheels.
.
(3) Herb Landman 8/28/2004
April 21, 2002 article by Elliot Mathias re Dan Rather
I just read this most worthwhile article; learning of Dan Rather's ignorance of Israeli-Arab history was surprising, but his continued bias against the Israelis up to this present time is unsettling. Whatever respect I had for Dan Rather has turned to disgust.